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08/02/2024

Cheer and Loving at Project Pabst: One Writer’s Rundown of the Festival’s Return to Portland’s Waterfront

By TOBIAS WISNER // Recapping highlights from the triumphant return of Project Pabst Festival at Portland’s Waterfront Park - complete with killer bands, local vendors, and plenty of beer - with photography featuring Samantha Klopp at Endless Noise Photos.

I was on the MAX down to Portland’s famous Waterfront Park when the excitement began to take hold. Here I suddenly was - after seemingly an entire summer of pre-work, emails, calls, and coordination, I was finally on my way to the return of a festival this city deserves - Project Pabst. 

After a hiatus of about seven years and over the course of numerous conversations with friends and contemporaries in the scene, it seemed the whole of Portland was geared and ready to apply sunscreen to pasty-white skin, grab portable water bottles, don small, clear bags indicative of the modern festival-going time we live in, and hit Downtown for some local vendors, lots of beer, and most importantly - some killer live music from acts both underground and larger-than-life.

Don’t Call It a Comeback

In case you missed OMN’s pre-event coverage of the festival, I was excited to see a litany of acts gracing the Captain Pabst and Unicorn stages at either side of the park, with boundaries extending up to the Morrison Bridge and the fountain at Salmon Street Springs. 

Pabst Blue Ribbon clearly made an attempt to tailor the event to Portland’s musical sensibilities - featuring local legends like Alien Boy, Shannon & The Clams, and STRFKR - alongside global legends like T-Pain and Billy Idol. Stages were set so to speak for the weekend, and in my mind it was all a success fueled by 24oz. cans of beer and local food carts.

Apprehension about the state of Portland’s downtown seemed to cease being a talking point among even the city’s most staunch critics. In my mind as well as in many others, Pabst Fest became something for us all to rally around in the name of getting drunk AND our music scene that silences the haters who have the courage to visit and attend a show. The fact that the event was making a long awaited return is just another sign that those who talk shit are actually out-of-touch, and I’m happy to recap my experience as a festival attendee, armed with little more than a notebook, beer money, and wanderlust at the possibilities of what the festival could be and represent.

Day One

I’ll start here for context - if you’re expecting a full rehashing of every artist who played last weekend, you’re in the wrong place. 

Not even the best journalist could have covered the 20 total acts that played across two stages on either end of the festival, and if my tight hip flexors, sore feet, and inflamed lower-back were any indication, I caught as many as I could. Between running into friends old and new, avoiding old dating-app matches, and trying to be in the best possible spot for each performance, the weekend itself was a whirlwind in the best possible way.

By far the most well-attended day of the event, Saturday was a sight to behold for both first-time festival goers and seasoned attendees alike. While big artists would be performing both days, in terms of being absolutely stacked it seemed to be the day to go. Most people I talked to that day said that they had just bought a one day ticket for this one, and for a myriad of reasons I can see why - though none of them have to do with a perceived lack of strength from one day to another. 

Most of us work on Mondays, some of us want to be clear and cogent for that Monday work, and a few of us tend to do chores on Sundays. Like I said, it could be anything, but it was clear just from the volume of people that a majority of attendees had chosen that Saturday to let loose.

Here are a few highlights and thoughts from the day according to me:

La Luz

Both from far away and up close, La Luz’s musical stylings were the first I heard in the walk-up to the festival. And after grabbing the biggest PBR they had at a bar station near the Unicorn Stage - I could see why so many people had them on their must-catch list that day. The band’s sound was tinged with psychedelia and good old fashioned Indie Rock and Pop, and was a great start to what would be a packed day.

Dehd

Armed with a stellar guitarist, a bassist, and a guy playing an assorted group of drums standing up - Dehd brought it in a way that made me want to go home and stream their discography. Fusing bedroom-style Indie with some Shoegaze-y guitar work and danceable drums, alongside lead vocal contributions from two string wielding members, the band had the crowd going and was also a prime stage setter for the bigger acts to take over.

Shannon & The Clams

It’s unfortunate that this set was less of a highlight for me, but something I thought was worth mentioning. While anticipation was high for the band with Portland roots - the performance, for me, was marred by technical difficulties and apparently tense relations among band members. Multiple, shrill, abrasive feedback sounds could be heard from across the festival in an apparent flub from the sound booth, and in response the bandmates appeared to start arguing on stage between songs. I respect the shit out of when a band can overcome inevitable issues and still deliver on a killer performance, but it doesn’t look like that happened here - unfortunately.

T-Pain

I said before that seeing this artist, if you’re of a certain generation, would be some of the best healing of your inner-child you could do that weekend, but somehow my praise for the performance was an understatement. The first four songs alone, including the hit “Im Sprung,” immediately demonstrated why T-Pain ruled the airwaves in the early 2000s and in perpetuity. He brought humor, stage-presence, and straight bangers to the set, and from the crowd singing along it was easily a top highlight.

Violent Femmes

My top highlight of the day goes to Violent Femmes by a mile. Not only did the band just look stoked to be there before, during, and after each song, they played their iconic first record in its entirety. The crowd was receptive, jamming to songs like “Gone Daddy Gone” and “Add It Up,” plus the band did a few songs with a full horn section - complete with the biggest saxophone I’d ever seen in my life up until that point. If the bass player’s comically embellished acoustic instrument was any sign of the band’s plans to blow the non-existent roof off the place, they certainly succeeded.

Day Two

Alluded to previously, Saturday was much more well-attended than Sunday was, which was a blessing in certain ways and a curse in others. For one, drink and merch lines were short. I was able to even get into the famous Inkbus that had set up shop toward the Captain Pabst mainstage for a new tattoo. But on the flipside I felt like there were plenty of acts that warranted a bigger crowd that day. 

Given that the event was 21+, the ban on smoking also appeared to be weighing on people. Sure, clandestine cigarettes and joints were apparent, but it was kind of a buzzkill to have a highlighter-toned shirt wearing security guard tell you that smoking wasn’t allowed anywhere if caught with a cancer stick.

Still, there were highlights of note I’ll list here:

Militarie Gun

Multiple people told me to check this band’s set after my initial pre-event article, and I could not have been more pleased. Rooted in Hardcore with modern Post-punk and Rock leanings, the band has a young fanbase and brought it with a harder sound that I thought the festival could have used in the first place. Overall, a great start to Sunday.

Jeff Rosenstock

I was probably the most hyped to see Jeff out of anyone, and he brought it in every sense of the word. He mixed in a ton of hits off his 10/10 album HELLMODE that dropped last year, complete with some older songs that longtime fans clearly got a kick out of. With power Pop Punk and experimental vibes behind him, it was so awesome to see one of my favorite artists live for the first time in such a cool setting.

Manchester Orchestra

This band was a surprise hit for me. Maybe it’s my own ignorance, but I hadn’t actually heard of this band until I realized I knew several of their songs during their set. They brought a big stage presence to the Captain Pabst mainstage that most of my friends were excited to see, and their big sound went perfectly with the sunset as the headliners were set to perform.

Denzel Curry

This was the most hype set of the day in my humble opinion. Denzel had the biggest stage presence easily, and if my sweaty friends emerging from the mosh was any indication, the set he put on was just as high energy as he was. He played a good collection of songs both from his recently released new album alongside tracks from my favorite release of his, TA13OO, and his anti-drunk driving message as he closed his set down was icing on the cake.

Big Thief

Debuting 10 new songs with a new bassist. There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd for Big Thief’s emotional set courtesy of Adrianne Lenker’s master songwriting. People don’t give her enough credit for also being an incredible guitar player, and the band’s Folk-y, Indie-y, Singer/Songwriter vibe was on full display. It was an excellent closer to the weekend, and I left feeling both tired and emotionally fulfilled

Closing Time

Now, the sun has set on that weekend, and to be honest, due to my steady diet of PBR’s and the occasional bite of food, I’m still recovering. It’s a good recover though - the type of tired you get when you work out really hard, and I’m honored to have covered the return of a festival that means so much for Portland’s music scene.

I have no idea how much money Pabst Blue Ribbon made from the event, and unfortunately that tends to be the guiding force behind rethrowing a festival of that scale, but I hope they come back, and I can’t wait to see what other acts might grace the Captain Pabst and Unicorn stages.

Thank you to Pabst for such a great experience. Enjoy some amazing photos courtesy of Samantha Klopp at Endless Noise Photos, and I hope to be there in full force next year.

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